Friday, September 17, 2004

Patterico pisses me off

Patterico wrote a story today that pisses me off. I wanted to believe that most of the stories I read in the old media are true. Rather has shaken that faith a little, but I knew Rather was biased. Now I have to question every quote I read. (Believe me, I've been "quoted" before, and I know that "quotes" don't always tell the whole story or even accurately represent what the person actually said.) Patterico destroys what little faith I had remaining with this entertaining and disturbing anecdote.

Former L.A. Times reporter Evan Maxwell passes along this observation:

Years ago, when I was with The LATimes, the newsroom guru was a fine reporter and great writer named Gordon Grant.

Gordie was old-school. He broke in in Florida, worked in Chicago, and was a reporter in Europe during WWII. He lost an eye in combat. He was the real deal.

Gordie used to come up with brilliant stuff, great anecdotes and those gem-like quotes that captured a story perfectly. I used to sit next to him and once in a while, I'd say, "Gordie, I know this guy you are quoting here. He's not very bright. Are you sure he said this?"

Gordie would look at me and grin. Then he'd say, "Well, he would have said it if he had thought of it."

God Bless you, Gordie. Your spirit is still alive.

If the old media believes this is good journalism, then why am I still reading their stories?

About Me

I publish this blog because I want to and I can afford to. I am not affiliated with any political organization nor have I ever been. I joined the Libertarian Party once, but never renewed my dues.
I'm interested in truth and honesty in the media, and that is what I write about.
I blog anonymously because I think my writing should stand on its own, and my true identity is irrelevant. It is the ideas that matter, not the person.